WAR ON MARIJUANA

McDowell Raids Need Public Support

Marijuana may be a profitable enterprise for those who have yet to be
caught by the long arm of the law, but it is one business we do not
want operating in the Mountain State. This week, the West Virginia
State Police launched a public awareness campaign encouraging the
public to report sightings of marijuana plants.

"We're beginning our marijuana eradication season, and are looking
for tips from the public," Trooper A.H. Young, with the Princeton
Detachment of the West Virginia State Police, told the Daily Telegraph.

Many people discover marijuana plants while riding all-terrain
vehicles or hiking through the woods.

Marijuana is a green plant with five leaves that have serrated edges.
During this time of year - the growing season - plants can range in
size from 2 to 3 feet up to 14 or 15 feet tall.

The eradication campaign is vital coming on the heels of two
significant drug busts in McDowell County.

A pair of raids in McDowell last weekend netted plants with a street
value in the six-figure range. Twelve plants discovered in Ritter
Hollow had an estimated street value of $2,000 per plant - with a
total value of around $24,000.

The Welch detachment of the West Virginia State Police also
confiscated 40 marijuana plants in Shaft Hallow in Caretta, which
were growing in two different plots.

Police estimated the street value of these plants at $80,000.

Earlier week, more marijuana plants - also with an estimated street
value of several thousand dollars - were also discovered in McDowell County.

Although officials say the peak season for marijuana cultivation is
still weeks ago, we hope the number of plants already confiscated is
not a harbinger of a bad season.

Trooper Young said anyone who comes across marijuana plants should
not venture near the plants but, instead, should contact the local
State Police detachment. "A lot of people have neighbors they suspect
might be growing marijuana," Young said. "If they want to call and
give information about someone growing marijuana, they can remain
anonymous. They do not have to give their name ... We just want the
information."

We encourage all residents of the two Virginias who stumble across
marijuana plants or suspect individuals of growing the illegal plants
to contact their local law enforcement officials immediately.

It is up to all of us to do our part to help eradicate this illegal
substance from our communities.